Government & Politics

It was one of the biggest scandals the country had ever seen - the theft of U.S. government secrets about the atomic bomb that wound up in the hands of the Soviet Union. The federal government eventually tried and executed Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for conspiracy, sparking an international outcry. Now the story of the Rosenbergs is back in the news, as there is an effort underway to seek a presidential pardon in their case. There’s also a new book about their trial by Fresno State professor...

The impact of a Donald Trump presidency on the Central Valley is still a great mystery. However, modern American presidents have broad powers that they can put into effect quickly. There are more than a few very specific actions Trump could take that would directly affect Central California. Some of the bigger promises made by president-elect Trump will require the cooperation of the Republican-controlled Congress. Promises like a border wall, mass deportations, and repealing Obamacare will...

A Central Valley Congressman is being named to an important part of the incoming Donald Trump presidential administration. Congressman Devin Nunes is now part of president-elect Donald Trump’s transition team. Nunes has served seven terms and is currently the chair of the house intelligence committee. He is from Tulare and his district includes much of western Tulare and eastern Fresno Counties. The transition team plays a critical role in smoothing over the transfer of presidential power...

U.S. Senator-elect Kamala Harris, flanked by Long Beach Mayor Richard Garcia, holds her first post-election press conference at the headquarters of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. Kyle Stokes/KPCC U.S. Senator-elect Kamala Harris said it was no accident she decided to hold her first post-election press conference at the headquarters of a Los Angeles-based immigrant rights group, surrounded by sign-waving community members singing, " No nos moveran! ": we will not be...

For a political party that was portrayed as a chaotic mess, supposedly feeling the tightening grip of inhospitable demographics , Republicans sure are doing pretty well. Republican Donald Trump, a man whose candidacy was once covered by the Huffington Post in its entertainment section , will now ascend to what is commonly referred to as the most powerful job in the world. He will appoint at least one Supreme Court justice, who will likely tilt the court right again. Conventional wisdom once...

Indoor cannabis cultivation in Calaveras County pictured on October 20, 2016. Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio Californians legalized recreational marijuana, raised the tobacco tax and implemented tighter gun and ammunition control measures, while rejecting a bid to abolish capital punishment. A handful of measures are currently too close to call, including a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags. The marijuana initiative was projected to win almost as soon as polls closed. The law went...

California U.S. Senate candidate and California Attorney General Kamala Harris hugs Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis before speaking during her election night watch party at The Exchange LA on Tuesday night, Nov. 8, 2016. California chose Harris as its new U.S. senator. Maya Sugarman/KPCC California's U.S. Senate contest turned into a dominant win for state Attorney General Kamala Harris over her opponent, Orange County Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. The Associated Press projected a...

California has made a huge about-face when it comes to bilingual education in public schools, approving Proposition 58 . The significance of this initiative underscores the changing demographics and cultural shifts in the Golden State. Im really elated right now, as a teacher and as a Californian, said Anne Zerrien-Lee, who teaches first grade at Aldama Elementary, a Spanish-English dual-language school in Highland Park in Los Angeles. I think this shows that people are realizing the great...

Gov. Jerry Brown’s Proposition 57 has passed after enjoying a strong lead throughout the evening. Proposition 57 will make several changes to California’s criminal justice system, after 10 years of federal court oversight of its prisons prompted by overcrowding. Its least controversial part would change how some juvenile defendants are charged by allowing judges, instead of prosecutors, to decide if they should be charged as adults. But two other provisions of Proposition 57 impacting adult...

Early returns Tuesday night showed California voters leaning toward rejecting Proposition 62 an effort to end capital punishment in the state and narrowly approving a competing measure that would streamline executions. Before the election, backers and opponents of both Propositions 62 and 66 agreed that Californias death penalty system was broken. Although nearly 900 death sentences have been handed down since California reinstated the capital punishment in 1978, there have been just 13...